Michael Hurley

Articles by Michael Hurley

  • Adding SFDR product categories need not mean ditching Articles 8 and 9 - BNPP AM

    21 September 2023

    The addition of 'product categories' to the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) to denote the sustainability ambition of funds need not spell the end of Article 8 and 9 distinctions, a senior executive at BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) has argued.

  • US SEC adopts fund naming rules to tackle greenwashing

    21 September 2023

    The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is to require funds claiming environmental, social and governance (ESG) characteristics to prove they invest in line with the claim, under changes to its Names Rule designed to "prevent misleading or deceptive investment fund names".

  • UK prime minister under fire from industry for weakening climate policies

    20 September 2023

    UK prime minister Rishi Sunak announced he would delay a ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of gas boilers, drawing a wave of criticism from investors and corporates who say the move harms plans for the transition.

  • Carbon pricing 'ripple effect' gaining momentum, UBS says

    20 September 2023

    Carbon pricing policies such as the EU's emissions trading scheme (ETS) and carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) are "creating a ripple effect that increases the adoption of similar policies elsewhere," UBS analysts argue.

  • No need to scrap SFDR Articles 8 and 9, PwC says

    19 September 2023

    The EU could make "tweaks" to its Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), rather than wholesale changes that could lead to the Article 8 and 9 categories being scrapped, according to an executive at PwC Luxembourg.

  • Nature disclosures 'will become the norm'

    18 September 2023

    The final TNFD recommendations have been released, with a call for immediate adoption, writes Michael Hurley

  • Hydrogen 'hype' needs to be tempered, says Generation IM

    15 September 2023

    A "fast and furious" rush of planned projects to create clean hydrogen energy means that "the world might end up having more hydrogen in 2030 than it could actually use", Generation Investment Management has warned.

  • EU mulls scrapping Article 8, 9 distinction and creating sustainability 'categories'

    15 September 2023

    The EU is considering radical changes to its controversial Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) that could see it ditch the Article 8 and 9 designations that are widely used by investors to signal the sustainability ambition of funds.

  • California climate disclosures bill advances to governor's desk

    13 September 2023

    A proposal that would require detailed climate-related disclosures by large companies active in California has been approved by the state's Senate and now only requires the state's governor to sign it into law.

  • Central banks 'could demand transition plans to help set capital requirements'

    13 September 2023

    A "high likelihood [of] sudden build-ups of prudential risks" caused by climate change should see central banks and supervisors adjust prudential requirements for banks based on their transition plans, academics have recommended.